High Street Fashion Awards – The Shoe Edition

Our favourite thing about Lorraine Kelly is her ability to rock a thrifty high street outfit- so it was no surprise to us that her High Street Awards saw value for money brands like Peacocks nominated in the affordable fashion category.

Retailers like Peacocks have weathered the recession well, as more and more of use turned to more affordable ways to stay fashionable, and we liked what we saw.

Suddenly designer inspired heels, flats and sandals could be bought in all colours (we know this is slightly against the point) for the same price as a mid range pair and hundreds less than a designer version. What’s not to like?

Yes a shoe-aholic knows that quantity is key – and when stores like Peacocks will throw in quality as part of the deal, we’re sold.

So go and vote in LK’s High Street Fashion Awards to show your favourite stores you appreciate their hard work. And while you’re at it why not tell us where you buy your shoes from? Is it Peacocks or Prada?

Obligatory Kate Middleton Shoe Post

Well, there it was, last Friday for all the world to see - a million billion worldwide viewers pf the Royal Wedding and a potential result for the UK economy as people rush to buy union print mugs and plates, Duchy Originals biscuits, and Kate style gear. Make no mistake, Kate's now the media's #1 woman for style stories - I think before Kate it was Cheryl - seems like a different era now, that does.

In terms of the style thing it definitely seems as if there were people watching the wedding as much for the occasion of it as for the ladies shoes spotting to be done. Which, I suppose, is fair enough.

And already there' stuff out there about what Kate had on her feet the day after the wedding - comfortable wedge pumps, apparently.

Shoe blogs - the best of.

Here's a list of some of the cooler shoe blogs we've been reading this week:

Shoe blog - does what it says on the tin. Some great posts of very cool footwear here. We like!

Shoeperwoman - one of those sites that draws you in with imaginative, very well written content, humour and most importantly - style. Ok so we can't afford half of what we see here, but that's half the fun. More power to your, err, elbow, Shoeperwoman.

Shoewawa - great regularly updated blog, and extra marks for its often hilarious "ugly shoes" section.

If you can point us in the direction of some more class shoe blogs - get in touch.

Middleton Shoe Frenzy

Forgive us for a second while we here at Shoes Rule go into a Kate frenzy.

The Royal Wedding's not far off but for us it's more about Kate. And her sister Pippa too of course.

Pretty much anyone with an interest in UK fashion and footwear will be checking out the royal wedding (which I've just decided to refer to as RW 11).

So, with so much of a concentration of attention from a fashion hungry nation pouring through every media station, what's Kate gonna do on the big day? One word: impress.

Expect Kate's outfits for the foreseeable future to make a real mark on UK fashion and inspire people's entire looks. From the shoes to the fascinator, the UK has a new style icon.

But as I say, here at Shoes Rule we'll also be keeping an eye out for Pippa - who is also very cool.

Build the look (from the shoes up) The Mod

The Mod look is about smartness more than anything else. That means that as time passes the look does change - it's not about looking like you've just stopped off the 1967 bus, although admittedly that's what we'd all like in a perfect world.

So today's mod would look very different from his or her 1960s predecessor, while they both share the same aesthetic heritage.

Desis - aka desert boots. Essential. Although certain other types of suede shoe can be worn on alternate days to keep your desis fresh.

Jeans - the cut will vary depending on the decade. But right now fairly tight is alright. Not too tight though or you might look more of a hipster than a mod.

Jacket - needs to be tailored right. On the neat side. Four buttons.

Parka - get one 9if you can afford it) from Pretty Green or Maharishi both of whom do a great bit of parka design. If not, try the second hand shops for an antique job.

But the shoes are pretty much the most important thing. You could have all the rest of the gear but put the wrong shoes on and your Mod-ness would be vapourised in a nanosecond.

The way to spot a mod. or even an ex mod, is by the shoes. If someone's got on a pair of desis or wallaby style shoes then they're almost certainly acquainted with Mod culture. Eveb the right type of DMs or miltary style zip boots. But scuffed brogues or wellies? Nah.

Cool boots

What with the warmish weather arriving any time now, it could be an idea to have a shoe drawer spring clean and see what's in the shops. There are a lot of opportunities in the calendar for clothes buying, so why not. These ladies boots with crochet are very nice indeed -

Build the look - shoes for the Indie Kid

To be a classic indie kid you'll need to choose your clothes carefully. Indie kids spend just as much time on their look as anyone else.

For a grunge aesthetic the best kind of shoes to go for are Converse, an indie perennial that never really changes. Then for the more skete punk aesthetic there's a whole range from Vans to Etnies etc.

One indie shoe that dates right back to the C86 era is the Dr Martens shoe (shoe as opposed to boot, obvs...) but they've disappeared which is just as well as they lloked more like part of a police uniform than an indie getup.